At the time of writing, 'Vinaya' is the distillery’s widest release since the Lowland project was resurrected by Australian, David Prior and Head Distiller Dr. Nick Savage in 2015. The name comes from a Sanskrit word meaning ' respect and gratitude'. Says Dr.Savage, “As we embark on the 204th year of Bladnoch, the launch of Vinaya feels particularly significant. It is important for us to show gratitude to the previous custodians of this historic brand and estate as we move forward into our most ambitious year yet.” As for the whisky, it's matured in first fill ex-Bourbon and first fill ex-Sherry casks, which is a new combination for Bladnoch. Pale gold in colour, Vinaya is a bit sleepy on the nose, but teases out light apple, pear and vanilla. It's a spritely and youngish tasting malt with a faint backdrop of orchard fruits, developing richness on the back palate but overall remaining relatively tight, crisp and brisk, placing this in the realm of aperitifs. It's also one of the most affordable in the line up, so if you're looking to introduce yourself to Bladnoch's house style, start here. 46.7% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered.

Thirty minutes drive south from Glasgow, nestled in the heart of Ayrshire is a new independent family-owned distillery - now a rare thing in the Scotch whisky industry. Named Lochlea and distilling since 2018, their approach is small-batch, innovative and flexible without the constraints of a large corporate structure. Barley is grown on the farm and an on-site water source is employed, so there's full traceability over production. The venture recently kicked off a series of limited edition bottlings under the label, 'Sowing Edition First Crop', focusing on the growing of barley. This particular expression represents Spring when the barley seeds are sown. Matured in first-fill bourbon barrels and bottled without chill-filtration or added colour, expect a fruity whisky with notes of sweet red apples, vanilla pods, almond oil and a fresh finish. 46% Alc./Vol.

The Singleton Of Glen Ord Special Release 2022 The Enchantress of the Ruby Solstice 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 54.2% ABV, The Highlands This stellar 2022 Special Release from Singleton shows just how special whisky can be when double matured in the finest wine-seasoned casks. The result is mesmerising malt, in which beguiling, subtle wine-fruit notes entwine seductively with the layered, smooth, and rich distillery character.

The wandering storm bird. Said to be the souls of lost sailors, these roaming aeronauts glide endlessly over the vast and sometimes inhospitable Southern Ocean. Seen as an omen of both good luck and bad, these occasional visitors to our shores perfectly embody grace endurance and fragility.

The entry level 'Distillery Select' Series sits beneath Kavalan's existing 'Solist' and 'Rare Sherry' whiskies and comes presented in a bottle shape inspired by Taiwan’s architectural pride, Taipei 101 - one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers. Each whisky in the range is created to showcase a different facet of Kavalan’s character. For this second expression, the Master Distiller emphasises floral and herbal notes.

NOSE: Spiced oak, warming vanilla and freshly shelled nuts. PALATE: Summer berries and cream. A splash of water brings out warm biscuits, oak spice and candied orange. FINISH: Rich spiciness, sultanas, citrus zest and brown sugar.

"One for no age statement naysayers... Eloquent & beautiful." - whiskyadvocate.com Back in 2015, Nikka announced they were discontinuing their age statement and No Age Statement (NAS) releases for the Yoichi and Miyagikyo labels and consolidating them into two new bottlings. These whiskies have now arrived in Australia. Two NAS versions that differ slightly to the previous versions now represent the entire portfolio. It was yet another move that triggered a buying rush. Reports have it that Tokyo is now pretty much out of age statement Japanese whiskies, unless you visit bars or auction houses. Nikka's reasons for the radical new strategy are now familiar. They simply have no old stocks to sell. Decades ago, both local and world demand for Japanese malts was low, so few barrels were being laid down for extended periods. Stefan Van Eycken, writing for www.nonjatta.com explains "...there were years, at both Yoichi and Miyagikyo distillery, when the barrels laid down for maturation could be counted on the fingers of one hand. The ‘stock shortage’ is not an excuse or a PR stunt – it’s very real. Sources within Nikka have said that it is ‘likely’ that age-statement single malts will be brought back in 5 or 6 years’ time. No official statement to that effect has been made for the simple reason that doing so – in Japan – would be interpreted as a promise (which could come back to haunt them in 6 years’ time)." The dropping of age statements doesn't always translate into a drop in quality. Early reviews for both releases have been very positive. Evidently, Chief blender Tadashi Sakuma has risen to the challenge of creating a great assemblage from a restricted inventory.

"Very high quality & teasingly complex peated malt." 95 points - Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2022 If your single malt selections are dictated by budget constraints, this will be a no brainer (so long as you don't mind a bit of peat). Conceived in 2006, Bruichladdich revived the Port Charlotte label from the Lochindaal distillery, operational between 1829 to 1929, two miles south in the town of Port Charlotte. Historical accounts from legendary British documentarian Alfred Barnard knew Lochindaal to produce only heavily peated malts, so the PC style is a replica of sorts. It started as 'PC5' with yearly follow-ups culminating in this general release 10 year old. Delivering a knock-out mix of lanolin, smouldering pine, butter menthol and vanilla cream that even the peat shy will fall for, it's superbly integrated, zesty, complex - and incredibly, at 40ppm the peat is not overbearing; Perfumed aromatics and a 50% ABV attack include Fisherman’s Friend lozenge, farmyard, dried grass and butterscotch as well as lanolin, oatmeal biscuit and chimney soot, followed by a finish that's delicately salty with dusty cocoa and hints of black tea. Both affordable and unanimously praised, it's one of those rare malts you can't fail to be impressed by. Matured predominantly in first-fill American oak casks, along with second-fill American and second-fill French wine casks, it comes bottled non chill filtered. 50% Alc./Vol. [2016 edition tasted].

"Unquestionably one of the great malts of the year...in spite of itself". - Jim Murray Tasting note: Deep gold / brass. Muted at first; builds with a PX top note almost overwhelming the expected distillery aromas; if only momentarily. Brandy soaked raisins and dark chocolate amid flashes of sweet peat and pepper. Three to four minutes exposure draws out smouldering cedar, cigar box and hints of elastoplast, accenting fruit cake in later inspections. Terrific balance in the sweet, smokey-malt mid palate; vanilla and Christmas cake add richness to the finish. Concludes prolonged and lozenge-like with Laphroaig's trademark medicinal edge and pepperiness breaking through late, finally checked by the sherry. Big PX influence here but deftly handled - think of it as drunken Christmas pudding, Islay-style . 48% Alc./Vol. Normally travel retail exclusive. Extremely limited stocks.

Named after a peninsula on the coast of Islay, Bill Lumsden has mixed it up with this release employing a combination of casks: Pedro Ximénez, charred virgin oak and ex-bourbon. An Oa (pronounced “an oh”) will become a part of the core range joining the 10 year old, Uigeadail, and Corryvreckan. Lumsden describes the whisky as "...smoky, sweet and rounded, with unusually, grilled artichokes in the finish." Tasting note: Bright gold. As always deceptively complex, developing with sherried oak aromas, lanolin, sooty vanilla and later, dark chocolate and suggestions of smoldering green pine. Entry is assertively salty, kippery, peppery. Mid palate is oily, medium dry, offering sherried richness along with piney juniper, over-baked sponge cake, black tea and hints of smoked meats at the finish. No shortage of peat, but loses some momentum in the final stages. Non chill filtered. 46.6% Alc./Vol.